Packing a partial bowl

[indyraider]

Quick question. If I don't have time to smoke an entire bowl, am I better to pack a partial bowl or pack a full bowl and trash what I don't finish? With 3 kids in our home there are times I can only escape to the patio for a half hour or so to fellowship with my pipe!
Just want to make sure I am not causing issues with my pipe by packing and smoking a half bowl. If a half bowl is OK, any tips on packing it or would you just pack it like a full bowl only with less tobacco?
indyraider

 

[yaddy306]

How about a smaller pipe?

 

[lestrout]

indy - partial bowls are no problem. If you are puffing Virginias, DGT works just fine, and sometimes the flavor improves. One of the many benefits of pipe smoking vs. cigars and cigarettes is that I feel no obligation to finish a bowl in one sitting.
hp

les

 

[bryanf]

I partial bowl sometimes. No problem. If you were to do it all the time, you'd probably build uneven cake but a pipe knife could sort that out. I tend to pack a little tighter. The taste isn't as good in my opinion as a full bowl, bit sometimes you do what you got to do.

 

[rmason]

Yeah you have two options, you could a) pack only partial bowls and just make sure that your cake is even or b) buy a pipe with a smaller bowl either way your good to go. Overall once PAD sets in you will go with b, and if you read here often enough PAD and TAD should be coming you way soon.

~Ron

 

[lostandfound]

Missouri Meerschaum's Pony Express is the answer you're looking for.
PS. Sailor Jerry says "Hi." :lol:

 

[rmason]

+1 on the Pony Express, good small pipe I love them, good call lostandfound.

~Ron

 

[cigrmaster]

Smoking partial bowls is an affront to humanity and you will be considered a blasphemer. Get some smaller pipes and smoke it down to the bottom. I don't want to hear any more of this partial stuff. The pipe Gods frown upon partial bowls and they will make your pipes smoke wet and make your tobacco tasty yucky. :crazy:

 

[erichbaumer]

As long as having tobacco left in the bowl is an option, I'd say pack a full bowl, smoke what you like and smoke the rest later. If you dump out the ash, leaving only unsmoked tobacco, you should be able to transport the pipe that way as well.

 

[cmdrmcbragg]

I can only take short smoke breaks at work, so I pack a full bowl and hope that the flavor isn't totally ruined throughout the day. Better blends = better relights. My experience is the OTC blends don't hold their flavor real well if left sitting all day with infrequent relights. That or empty the ashes often, like when you have to go back in/back-to-work if it would be sitting for awhile otherwise.

 

[petes03]

I smoke half-bowls all the time. Not a real big fan of DGT, but I do it occasionally, mainly at work when I have limited time to smoke.

 

[mso489]

Smoke the rest later. Or buy a smaller pipe or two. Or just pack the pipe halfway, or whatever you can

smoke at the time. I like the smaller pipe idea best, then the smoke the rest later idea, but a partial bowl

works too. I think pipes are far more forgiving that we seem to think. If you have a good carbon layer,

an occasional half bowl won't hurt a thing, in my opinion.

 

[micdabutcher]

+1 on the mm ponies. I also use the cork from an empty bottle of Wild Turkey Rare Breed to stopper an unfinished cob, after dumping ash, to finish later.
Mic

 

[magicsmoke7]

These guys all have some really good ideas, and a cake is important, but if you ream your bowl every time with the spoon tool or some pipe cleaners I really don't think it will hurt anything. Now that being said. You could pack it up half. smoke it next time pack it full smoke the top half. and so on. but honestly it may be easier to just buy a pony express or cob mini. just my 2 cents, but thats just me the inexperienced wet behind the ears boy. :puffpipe:

 

[indyraider]

Thanks to everyone for the input. So much good information here.
indyraider

 

[sallow]

If I don't have time to smoke an entire bowl, am I better to pack a partial bowl or pack a full bowl

Why not make the time?
Seriously, I scurry around all day. The last thing i want to do is rush my pipe. Take the dog for a walk. Smoke a ribbon and not a flake, it will burn a bit quicker. I smoke a small bowl and I still need a good hour and ten minutes.

 

[buster]

I like smaller bowls and still do not always have the time to completely finnish it. Two kids and I am heck of busy. I use a wind cap to keep the stuff in the bowl and come back to it later. I also have a Missouri mearshaum "Eaton" that is close in size to the pony express. I find I can come back to a bowl the next day and it is still OK. Any more then that and it is not so great I find.

 

[zekest]

I like big bowls and I cannot lie!
Anything under 0.80 diameter is too small for my Aromatics to develop their complex and intense flavors.
Packing partial bowls is just the natural order when you do not want to sit on your arse for a few hours.
Nothing wrong with it.

 

[dennisfbird]

I find I smoke in short spurts..... 10-20 minutes..... then off to do something else.... MM offers the pony and their hardwoods have small bowls too.... and my cheap Indian smokeshop tobacco is dry and smokes fast.... I wish I could sit still for an hour of enjoyment..... alas, it is not to be.